Device for closing fasteners

ABSTRACT

A method of and apparatus for securing an enclosing, wrap-around member applied about an object having pressure-resistant surface, and wherein the member has pressure interlockable, i.e., plastic hook zipper, fastener comprising complementary portions along adjoining edges and wherein one of the portions is backed against the object, the other of the portions being moved into registering alignment with the backed portion and pressure exerted to drive the registering portion into interlocked engagement with the backed portion utilizing the object as the base toward which the pressure is applied. A grooved tunnel slider is provided as the means for effecting the fastener closing.

United States Patent Ausnit DEVICE FOR CLOSING FASTENERS Steven Ausnit, 124 East 61st Street, New York, NY. 10021 Filed: Mar. 24, 1970 Appl. No.: 22,243

Inventor:

U.S. Cl. ..29/243.57, 24/201 C, 156/466, 29/453, 29/450, 156/66 Int. Cl ..A44b 19/14, A44b 19/26 Field of Search ..24/201 C, 205.15 E; 29/2075 SL, 207.5 R, 235, 243.57; 156/466 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Baines Zimmerman.

Pasquetti FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 739,721 8/1966 Canada ..156/466 377,275 7/1932 Great Britain ..24/205.15 E 176,908 5/1935 Switzerland ..24/205.15 E

Primary ExaminerBemard A. Gelak AttorneyHill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson 57 ABSTRACT A method of and apparatus for securing an enclosing, wraparound member applied about an object having pressure-resistant surface, and wherein the member has pressure interlockable, i.e., plastic hook zipper, fastener comprising complementary portions along adjoining edges and wherein one of the portions is backed against the object, the other of the portions being moved into registering alignment with the backed portion and pressure exerted to drive the registering portion into interlocked engagement with the backed portion utilizing the object as the base toward which the pressure is applied. A grooved tunnel slider is provided as the means for effecting the fastener closing.

8 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAR21 1972 SHEET 1 BF 3 INVENTOR.

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' sum 3 OF 3 I N VEN TOR. 57 Vf/V 4 05/107 BY ,M ATTORNEYS DEVICE FOR CLOSING FASTENERS This invention relates to a method of and means for closing fasteners of self-retaining, object-enclosing wraparound members, and is more particularly concerned with the closing of flexible extruded plastic sheathing members around elongated objects such as ducts, cables and the like.

Plastic zipper fasteners are customarily opened and closed by means of sliders having a wedge device to facilitate opening the fastener or zipper as desired. This requires that the slider provides separate entry channels for the two portions of the fastener and requires that the fastener be engaged by having its outside surfaces pressed together thereby interlocking its inside ridges and grooves by the upper and lower plates of the slider.

Conventional slider closing of fasteners for elongated object wrapping or sheathing members has numerous disadvantages, not the least of which is that there must be sufficient play or gap or give at the inner side of the fastener to accommodate the inner slider plate, thereby resulting in a loose untidy fit of the wrap member. Another serious disadvantage with prior arrangements has been the difficulty in properly aligning the fastener sections so that they can be engaged. If the fastener sections are not properly aligned they will not engage and the fastener will either remain open or the slider will jam. In addition previous combinations were slower and much more cumbersome to install, requiring more careful and difficult handling of the wrap members.

According to the present invention the foregoing and other disadvantages, shortcomings, inefflciencies and problems are overcome by the provision of a new and improved method of and means for closing fasteners of self-retaining, object-enclosing members.

An object of the invention is to provide a new method of and means for simply, quickly and positively effecting closing of a zipper-type enclosure of a wrap member utilizing the ob ject about which an enclosing member is applied as a base against which pressure is applied in effecting closing of the fastener.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of closing resilient plastic fasteners by utilizing the object enclosed by the member carrying the fastener as a pressure-receiving base.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel slider for closing plastic zipper fasteners around an elongated object.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved device for closing wrap members that sheath elongated objects.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts embodied in the disclosure, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a sliderembodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of a wrap member adapted to-be applied to an object be means ofthe slider ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the slider showing the latch mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on the line lV-IV ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the manner in which the fastener directing tracks of the slider are related;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view substantially in the plane of line IV-IV of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially along the plane ofline VII-VII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line IX--IX of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line X--X of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the inside of the upper right slider top portion.

For practicing the method of the present invention, a novel slider 15 (FIG. 1) is provided which is constructed and arranged to wrap and secure a sheetlike flexible member 16 in sheathing relation about an elongated object 17 (FIG. 7) which may be a conduit or duct, a cable, or the like, For this purpose, the wrap member 16 may have insulating, dielectric, protective, or other desirable characteristics, and made from a suitable resiliently flexible synthetic plastic material such as vinyl, polyethylene, or like material, enabling low cost extrusion manufacture of the member. Its length and width are predetermined to permit it to be wrapped about the object 17 in sheathing relation to as much of the length of the object as desired and with whatever desired snugness of engagement with the perimeter of the object as will suit the purpose.

In a preferred arrangement, the wrap member 16 has a flexible, and if desired elastic, body of generally sheet form provided along its respective opposite longitudinal edges with respective integral complementary zipper fastener interlock structure portions 18 and 19 enabling them to be brought into registration with one another and pressed together into retaining engagement. For this purpose, the fastener portion 18 has hook means comprising, in this instance, a plurality of spaced parallel similar hooks 20 projecting from the face of the member 16 at one of its outside edges, with one of the hooks aligned with said'adjacent edge and the teeth of both of the hooks directed away from such edge and angled toward the body of the member. Inwardly spaced from the inner of the hooks 20 is a shoulder rib flange 21. Between the hooks 20 and the flange 21 are provided respective recesses complementary to and receptive of hooks 22 of the fastener portion 19 which hooks project toward the plane of the member 16 from which they are relatively offset at their heads by being carried by a fastener strip 23 which is integrally attached to the body of the member 16 by a shoulder connecting flange 24 that is aligned with the adjacent other edge of the member. It will be observed that the object-engaging face of the member body including the fastener strips is coplanar from edge-toedge, when said fastener portions have been interlocked.

In applying the member 16 about the object 17 by means of the slider 15, the fastener portions 18 and 19, both of which are located at the respective edges of the member 16 and project from its face, are placed endwise or positioned into respective track grooves 27 and 28 provided in the walls that define a tunnel 29 extending from end-to-end through the slider 15 which for the present purpose is constructed and arranged in the form of a separable multi-section block to enable opening the same for application about and removal from the object 17 along which the slider is adapted to be moved longitudinally in effecting the fastener closing operation. As shown in FIG. 1, the slider 15 comprises a bottom portion having complementary halves 30 which are adjustably connected together as by means of a tie bolt 31 (FIGS. 1 and 4) so as to enable fitting the tunnel 29 to variable diameters in the objects to be covered, within a reasonable range of such diameters. To hold the parts 30 relatively stable in spaced conditions of adjustment, yieldable biasing means are provided comprising a coil compression spring disposed about the bolt 31 and thrusting against the portions 30 within aligned blind end bores 33 therein.

To enable envelopment of the elongated object 17 within the tunnel 29 where it is not possible or practical to insert the object end-wise into the tunnel, the slider 15 is provided with means for spreading it open to receive the elongated object by a lateral enveloping maneuver. For this purpose, the slider is provided in the upper part thereof as seen in FIG. 1, with a pair of separable complementary portions 34 which are respectively hingedly attached to the bottom portions 30 as by means of hinge lugs 35 received in hinge recesses 37 and connected therein by respective hinge pins 38 in a generally piano hinge manner along the outer sides of the members 30 and 34 and enabling the members 34 to be hingedly spread open to enable free reception of the elongated object in the complementary portions of the tunnel 29 provided by the members 30 and then swinging of the slider portions 34 toward one another to bring the complementary tunnel portions thereof into confronting relation to the elongated object. To retain the slider portions 34 closed, lock or latch means are provided such as a rotary and reciprocable latch bolt 39 manipulatably mounted on one of the portions 34 and extending across the joint therebetween to engage a fixed keeper 41 provided therefore on the other of the slider portions 34 (FIGS. 1 and 3). Opening and closing of the latch bolt 39 is facilitated by a lateral handle 42.

In applying the wrap member 16 to the object 17 by use of the slider 15, the slider is applied about the object as described and latched closed. The wrap member 16 is assembled onto the object by first forming it into a loop to fit in a generally oval shaped enlargement 29a at the entry end ofthe tunnel 29, provided by deepening it in the slider portions 30. The leading ends of the fastener portions 18 and 19 of the wrap member are respectively received in the entry ends of the track grooves 27 and 28 which are conveniently located in the slider portions 34 at circumferentially spaced positions, as shown at the meeting of the slider portions 34 with the slider portions 30. Thence, the track grooves 27 and 28 extend in and along the tunnel wall in respective generally reverse spiral fashion, as best visualized from the schematic illustration in FIG. 5, thereby bringing the fastener portions into alignment one above the other in positions for interlocking and then pressing said portions between the tunnel wall and the object 17 into locking engagement so that the wrap member 16 emerges from the exit end of the slider tunnel securely locked around the object 17.

Advance of the fastener structures 18 and 19 in the track grooves 27 and 28, respectively, is effected by relatively slidably longitudinally moving the fastener structures, and the slider so that the tracks 27 and 28 direct the fastener structures into interlocking engagement and exit from the slider fully and substantially permanently fastened to one another and maintaining the wrap member 16 on the object 17. Progress along the tracks 27 and 28 can be followed in FIGS. 6l0 with the starting of the fastener portions or structures 18 and 19 into the track grooves being shown in FIG. 6.

As the relative longitudinal advance continues, the fastener structures 18 and 19 are progressively moved toward convergence with one another, with the perimeter of the object 17 cooperating with the wall of the tunnel 29 to retain the fastener structures in the track grooves (FIG. 7). The shoulder rib 21 and the flange 24, of the fastener structures 18 and 19 respectively, provide shoulders against which the confronting sidewalls of the respective track grooves work to push the fastener structures gradually toward one another, at the same time progressively circumferentially drawing the body sheet web ofmember 16 into closing relation about the object 17.

As the track grooves 27 and 28 run into convergence, the track groove 27 remains at the same radial relationship to the circumference of the object 17, but the track groove 28 turns progressively radially outwardly until it is offset relative to and overrides the track groove 27 (FIG. 8) to enable the fastener hooks 22 to climb over the fastener hooks 20. To make this possible, the tunnel wall contiguous to the track groove 28 is progressively increased in diameter as shown at 29b to enable the contiguous portion of the web body 16 of the wrap member to follow the fastener structure portion 19 without strain.

As the track grooves 27 and 28 reach full alignment (FIG. 9) the fastener portion 19 cooperatively overlies the fastener portion 18, with the respective sets of complementary interlock hooks and 22 generally aligned with the receiving recesses in the fastener structure portions. In this relationship, it will be observed that the track grooves are desirably located on a median longitudinal plane coincident with the adjacent parting plane between the slider portions 34. In effect, the track groove 27, at this point of increased depth, has its root surface aligned in a plane with the root surface of the track groove 28 so as to receive the fastener portion 19 for the necessary alignment with the fastener portion 18 which continues to be bottomed on and backed against the perimeter of the object 17. 5 Finally, in the ultimate progression of the track grooves, they attain substantially complete convergence wherein the fastener portion 19 is pushed toward the fastener portion 18 to thrust the hooks 22 into interlocking engagement with the hooks 20 and to complete closing of the fastener. This is accomplished by dipping the root surfaces of the track grooves from the relationship shown in FIG. 9 progressively, obliquely toward and into the relationship shown in FIG. 10, and wherein the underlying surface of the object 17 is utilized as a pressure resisting base or anvil to force the fastener portion 18 into interlocking engagement with the fastener portion 19. As the depth of the grooves diminishes to the final interlocking root wall contour thereof, the tunnel wall contiguous to the groove 28 also returns to the normal diameter.

After the wrap member 16 has been fully fastened, the slider 15 is adapted to be removed from the now sheathed object 17 by opening the latch 39, swinging the slider portions 34 apart and thereby releasing the slider from the object.

Fig. 11 illustrates an upper right portion 34. It is noted that the input end of the groove 27 forms a substantially partial spiral between the input end 41 and the output end 42. The bottom 27b of the groove forms a slight depression 43 adjacent the output portion 42 as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 9.

It will be understood that variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A slider for fastening a self-retaining wrap member having a flexible sheetlike body to be wrapped about an elongated object and provided along respective opposite longitudinal edges with complementary fastener interlock structures projecting from one face of the body while the opposite face is left free to be wrapped intimately onto the periphery of the object, 40 comprising:

a slider block shaped body having an enclosed tunnel from end-to-end therethrough arranged in separable sections adapted to be separated to an open portion to receive the elongated object and the wrap member assembled therewith;

said sections having means for locking them in a closed position for applying pressure to the fastener structure;

said tunnel having a wall provided with respective grooves in each section therein serving as tracks in which the respective fastener interlock structures are received; and

said grooves having ends which are substantially spaced apart circumferentially at one end of the tunnel, said ends receiving the respective fastener structure therein endwise and engaging only said one face of said wrap member and said grooves extending therefrom in generally converging relation into conjunction at the opposite end of the tunnel with each groove forming a substantially partial spiral so as to guide the interlock structures slidably therein as the slider is moved longitudinally and to direct said structures into interlocking engagement.

2. A slider according to claim 1, comprising a block structure body having separable sections hinged to each other for enabling it to be opened and applied about the elongated ob-' ject. I

3. A slider according to claim 1, comprising means for adjusting the tunnel diameter to accommodate variations in the diameter of the elongated object therein.

'70 4. A slider in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

said slider block formed of four longitudinally divided sections, the two lower sections being connected to each other and the two upper sections being hingedly attached 7 each to a lower section;

means provided for securing together the upper sections;

holds the lower sections apart and rigidly limits them to a maximum position of separation.

6. A slider in accordance with claim 1 including separably hinged parts to enable the slider body to be opened to be applied about the elongated object, and means for fixedly latching said parts to hold the fastener closed about the object.

7. A slider according to claim 6 wherein said track grooves are located in said hingedly separable parts of said body.

8. A slider in accordance with claim 1 wherein one end of the tunnel has a generally oval shape. 

1. A slider for fastening a self-retaining wrap member having a flexible sheetlike body to be wrapped about an elongated object and provIded along respective opposite longitudinal edges with complementary fastener interlock structures projecting from one face of the body while the opposite face is left free to be wrapped intimately onto the periphery of the object, comprising: a slider block shaped body having an enclosed tunnel from endto-end therethrough arranged in separable sections adapted to be separated to an open portion to receive the elongated object and the wrap member assembled therewith; said sections having means for locking them in a closed position for applying pressure to the fastener structure; said tunnel having a wall provided with respective grooves in each section therein serving as tracks in which the respective fastener interlock structures are received; and said grooves having ends which are substantially spaced apart circumferentially at one end of the tunnel, said ends receiving the respective fastener structure therein endwise and engaging only said one face of said wrap member and said grooves extending therefrom in generally converging relation into conjunction at the opposite end of the tunnel with each groove forming a substantially partial spiral so as to guide the interlock structures slidably therein as the slider is moved longitudinally and to direct said structures into interlocking engagement.
 2. A slider according to claim 1, comprising a block structure body having separable sections hinged to each other for enabling it to be opened and applied about the elongated object.
 3. A slider according to claim 1, comprising means for adjusting the tunnel diameter to accommodate variations in the diameter of the elongated object therein.
 4. A slider in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: said slider block formed of four longitudinally divided sections, the two lower sections being connected to each other and the two upper sections being hingedly attached each to a lower section; means provided for securing together the upper sections; said slider tracks being in the upper sections and having spaced apart entry ends into which said fasteners structures are adapted to be inserted endwise extending in generally converging relation into a fastener securing position on opposite ends of the tracks; and said tracks and said fastener structures being slidable relatively longitudinally to direct the interlock structures from said entry ends along the tracks to said opposite ends into interlocking engagement.
 5. A structure in accordance with claim 4 wherein the two lower sections are joined by a connector which resiliently holds the lower sections apart and rigidly limits them to a maximum position of separation.
 6. A slider in accordance with claim 1 including separably hinged parts to enable the slider body to be opened to be applied about the elongated object, and means for fixedly latching said parts to hold the fastener closed about the object.
 7. A slider according to claim 6 wherein said track grooves are located in said hingedly separable parts of said body.
 8. A slider in accordance with claim 1 wherein one end of the tunnel has a generally oval shape. 